Building out a cyber-security cluster

New Brunswick is trying to create a cybersecurity cluster. It has UNB researchers involved. It has several corporations involved – anchored by IBM/Q1 Labs. The government has set up CyberNB with a full team out there hustling to attract firm cybersecurity operations, IT firms, training, certification, etc.

I think there is another round of cybersecurity activity that would complement our existing strengths in business services/back office activity.

I talked recently about Facebook and its need to hire thousands of new staff to ensure its platform isn’t being used for nefarious activities. This same issue would apply to many online social media and news platforms.

The Economist had an excellent article this week about financial crimes/money laundering and the massive expansion in software that prowls the Internet seeking signs of illicit activity. This is complemented by a whole industry of firms such as Berlin Risk that make calls and use the old fashioned telephone to support the online activity. Sound familiar?

If NB is going to do cybersecurity – let’s go whole hog. Aligning IT, training, back office and customer interaction activity to become a world leader. We need to attract more immigrants. We could attract multilingual workers into the cluster bolstering our population with attractive jobs.

In the early 1990s NB was early into the contact centre game and turned it into one of the province’s largest export industries before the larger provinces even noticed. It is likely too late to do this with cyber as everyone is rushing in. While Ontario, etc. focuses on AI and algorithms we could focus on downstream content monitoring, interviewing, intel gathering, etc. I don’t know about you but I’d take 5,000 jobs paying $60k per year over the next 5-7 years.